Last verified: October 19, 2026. I’m a Texas home baker, not a lawyer — laws change, so always confirm with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) before you sell.

Cottage Food Laws by State

FLORIDA COTTAGE FOOD AT A GLANCE

Annual sales cap: $250,000 gross (the highest cottage food cap in the country; raised from $50,000 by HB 663 in 2021)

License or permit: Not required — no license, no permit, no registration, no fee

Kitchen inspection: Not required (FDACS only gets involved if a complaint is filed)

Food handler course: Not required by Florida law (still a smart idea — you’re legally responsible for what you sell)

Shipping: Allowed within Florida — you can ship anywhere in the state; no shipping out of state under the cottage exemption

Wholesale: Not permitted — every sale must be direct to the consumer

WHY FLORIDA IS THE EASIEST STATE FOR COTTAGE BAKERS

In 2021, Florida’s Home Sweet Home Act (HB 663) quintupled the sales cap from $50,000 to $250,000 and stripped the process down to almost nothing. There is no application, no paperwork to file, no course to complete, no inspection to pass. You can decide to start on a Tuesday afternoon and legally sell by the weekend — as long as your foods qualify and your labels are right. No other big state makes it this simple.

WHAT YOU CAN (AND CAN’T) SELL

Allowed: Loaf breads, rolls, and biscuits; cakes, pastries, and cookies; candies and confections; honey; jams, jellies, and preserves; fruit pies and dried fruits; dry herbs, seasonings, and mixes; homemade pasta; cereals, trail mixes, and granola; coated or uncoated nuts; vinegar and flavored vinegars; popcorn and popcorn balls.

Prohibited: Anything that needs refrigeration to stay safe — cream cheese frosting, custards, cream-filled pastries, most dairy, fresh eggs. Also out: meat, poultry, and seafood; low-acid canned goods (like pumpkin butter); kombucha; and cannabis or hemp products. If it has to stay cold, it needs a commercial kitchen.

FLORIDA LABELING REQUIREMENTS

Florida requires six things on every cottage food label:

  1. Name and address of your cottage food operation
  2. The name of the product — “Chocolate Chip Cookies,” not just your brand name
  3. Ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight
  4. Net weight or net volume — in both U.S. and metric units
  5. Allergen information — the Big 9 (milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, sesame), per federal labeling rules
  6. This exact statement, verbatim, in at least 10-point type in a color that clearly contrasts with the background: Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida’s food safety regulations.

No Nutrition Facts panel required — unless you make a nutritional claim (“gluten-free,” “low sugar”), in which case standard federal rules kick in.

WHERE YOU CAN SELL IN FLORIDA

Farmers markets, roadside stands, flea markets, directly from your home, community events — plus your own website and mail order. Florida is one of the friendlier states for online sales: you can take orders and payment online and ship anywhere within Florida. What you can’t do: sell wholesale or on consignment (no stocking your cookies in someone else’s shop), and you can’t ship out of state under the cottage exemption.

YOUR 3 STEPS TO START

  1. Confirm your foods qualify. If it needs refrigeration, it’s out — everything else on the allowed list is fair game.
  2. Get your labels right. Six elements, verbatim statement in at least 10-point type. Labeling is where most Florida cottage bakers get flagged, so don’t wing this one.
  3. Track every dollar from day one. Florida doesn’t ask you to register, but FDACS can request written documentation of your gross sales at any time. A simple spreadsheet keeps you under the $250,000 cap and audit-ready.

OFFICIAL FLORIDA SOURCES

This guide is for informational purposes only and isn’t legal advice. Cottage food laws change — I last verified this page on October 19, 2026. When in doubt, ask FDACS.

See cottage food laws for all 50 states

Just add sprinkles!